2023 NBA Draft: Making the Case for Arkansas' Jordan Walsh

The process of evaluating how talent will translate at the NBA level is difficult. This is why every franchise has an entire team dedicated to ensuring it makes quality selections each summer in the draft.

In general, being one of the most dominant players at the college level doesn’t guarantee NBA success. In fact, the past ten winners of the Naismith Men's College Player of the Year have been everything from superstars to undrafted players. The variation in success at the next level of these winners has been extremely wide.

On the flip side, some of the most impactful players in the NBA today came off the bench in college, or didn’t produce eye-popping numbers on box scores.

One player that should absolutely be getting real consideration in the first round that fits this criteria is Arkansas forward Jordan Walsh. As a freshman last season, he averaged just 7.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 27.8% from beyond the arc. At the surface, that doesn’t sound like a player ready to contribute in the NBA quite yet. When digging deeper and analyzing his long-term value at the next level, he’s such a high upside prospect.

Last season at Arkansas, he played the sixth-most minutes on the team and split time as a starter and reserve. As the Razorbacks faced different matchups and adjusted lineups due to injuries, his role varied quite a bit.

What stuck out about Walsh was the versatility he provided on both ends. At 6-foot-7, he fits the mold of a combo forward at the next level with the skillset to be one of the more versatile players in this class. He has the length and strength to defend in the frontcourt, but the foot-speed and discipline to also be effective guarding on the perimeter.

Offensively, he’s less of a polished prospect but the path to developing on that end is clear. Despite converting on less than 30% of his 3-point attempts as a freshman, the mechanics are extremely fluid. While there is a dip with the ball in his shot during the load up, the transfer of energy and release look very good. When looking at forwards making the jump to the NBA that didn’t shoot it well from deep last season, it’s easy to be optimistic about Walsh’s future success.

He wasn’t a focal point of the offense at Arkansas given the scoring punch they had in guys like Ricky Council IV, Nick Smith Jr. and Anthony Black. This made it difficult to evaluate Walsh’s fit and upside on that end moving forward. However, going back to his senior season at Link Academy, it’s clear he has the ability to play more of a primary role on that end when he needs to.

On the defensive side of the ball, the former five-star recruit is extremely disruptive. He notched a 77 DSI from Cerebro Sports while producing 1.6 stocks (steals + blocks) per contest. When evaluating defenders, there’s always different types of impact players. Some are defensive playmakers, while others provide switchability and can hold their own against multiple positions. Walsh possesses the combination of both, being a well-around defender.

For a player like Walsh, it comes down to watching him play to really understand who he is as a prospect. His impact goes well beyond the box score on both ends.

He’s a great mover off the ball and naturally enhances the fluidity of the offense with all of the things he does without actually handing the rock. He’s a smart screener and cutter, understanding angles and how to help his teammates set him up. Defensively, it’s apparent that he is able to adjust the way he guards players throughout the game depending on their tendencies and skillsets.

Overall, what Walsh is able to do at his size is special. While he doesn’t project to be a superstar at the next level, he could very easily be the piece that helps a team get over the hump on a deep playoff push in a few years. Late in the first round, that’s the type of player teams should be targeting anyways.

During the pre-draft process, Walsh’s measurements and workouts should help him climb boards. He’s not the most flashy player, but he’ll almost always make the right plays.

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.